Hi folks!

Yesterday we held a brief meeting at fencing practice to go over the fencing survey results and discuss plans for fencing practices this year. Here’s a recap of the results:
– Most popular activities from 2024 fencing practices: Free Sparring (86%), Beginner-Focused Group Lessons (43%), and Melees (38%)
– Most popular activities for future practices: Intermediate-Focused Group Lessons (71%), Strength and Conditioning for Fencing (48%), More Melees (38%), Fencing Video Review (33%)

Based on the survey results, we’ll be adding a few new monthly practice activities! Schedule will be as follows:
– First Sunday of each month: Melee Focused Practice
– Second Sunday of each month: C&T Focused Practice
– Third sunday of the month: Intermediate-focused lessons

If a practice gets cancelled, the scheduled activity may get rescheduled to the fourth or fifth sunday in that month.

In addition, we’ll experiment with running a bearpit at the start of practice to help folks get started fencing earlier. We’ll start that between 11:20 and 11:30, and go for 20-30 minutes. We’ll try out a few different bearpit formats.

Lastly, Iris Festival is coming up on June 7th! I’ll be the fencing Marshal-in-Charge for that event. If you have ideas on what we should run, or you’re interested in running any fencing tournaments or melees, let me know! You do not have to be a marshal to help run something!

Thanks to everyone who completed the survey. We had 21 respondents!

Yours in Service,

Robert MacEwin of Thornhill
Debatable Lands Fencing Marshal

Hello fencers! During practice this Sunday, February 23rd at 1pm, we’ll have a brief community meeting to discuss results from the BMDL Fencing Practice Feedback survey and plans for practices in the coming year. All are welcome to join.

Reminder, no practice tomorrow. Ædult Swim is still going on.

Guillaume

Hi folks! All martial practices will be cancelled on Sunday, February 16th due to Ædult Swim, which many of our members will be attending! Details here: https://aethelmearc.org/event/aedult-swim-2/

Salve Acolens!

Officers and any barony members who choose to join us, tonight is the bimonthly business meeting. Last meeting we moved to a partly in-person meeting, retaining the virtual option for those who need it. It mostly worked well until my phone hot spot died, kicking off all our virtual attendees for the last 5 minutes. My apologies- and tonight we’ll have a microphone and two extra power cords! We welcome anyone who would like to see how things work, or consider getting more involved in the running of the barony.

8:00 tonight, at Ace Axe Throwing, 145 E 8th Avenue Homestead, PA 15120. Park in the Aldi lot at 127 E 7th Ave just around the corner. We’ll be in the small group room at the back of the first floor. For those who are interested, the bar will be open. Ace is giving us the space for free, so let’s thank them with some business. Unfortunately, the Puerto Rican restaurant is not open on Wednesdays.

The only new business so far is a discussion of communication and social media, hoping we can find a better way to get information out and solve the problems many of you brought to me around communication and our 12th Night celebration. If you have something please let me know as soon as possible. We’ll be checking in on progress for Iris Festival, as well as conversation about spring and summer barony meetings and the upcoming website move.

Agenda: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1936wPfaNQ_B6Kt_x847TqjztZt6G2wFE/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101616352253053773827&rtpof=true&sd=true

Old Minutes: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NXcmWgrbS7HTmq-qQTHeBt2JrQRd8QWP/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101616352253053773827&rtpof=true&sd=true

If you need to join us virtually, Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86356863438?pwd=onP4ybxhOaygujlILqvq2QSzbaUXGZ.1

If you’re having problems, or you want to add something to the agenda, please reach out to me at seneschal@debatablelands.org

Yours in service,

Ceindrech verch Elidir

Our next Fiber Arts Guild Meeting will be on Monday, February 17th, 7pm, at 5167 Rosecrest Dr, Pittsburgh, PA.

Taking inspiration from the Japanese needle ceremony, this meeting will celebrate our hardworking tools. If you have any metal tools that have broken (needles, pins) that do not have plastic on them, or broken wooden tools, please bring them if you want to recycle them. I will take them to the metal smelt this summer solstice, and they can be used to help make steel for new knives.

If you have any working tools you love and want to share with the guild by showing them off, please bring them if they are portable.

We will also be discussing the intarsia project.

Cake, gluten free and glutenous, will be served. Cori Rosenthal boxes will be present. Masks are welcome and encouraged, but not required.

Hey everyone, just a reminder: there will be no martial practices at Ace Axe Throwing this Sunday, as many of us will be at the Region 2 Muster!

Details here: https://aethelmearc.org/event/region-2-muster-2/